October 20 Trivia – answers and explanations
Here are the answers to all 15 questions in the October 20 Trivia quiz, each with a short explanation. Fifteen questions across history, science, sport, film and much more. Haven't played yet? Take the quiz first and compare your score.
Play the quiz · 15 questions1. In Morse code, which letter is signalled by three dots?
Answer: S
In International Morse code three dots stand for the letter S, while three dashes stand for O — which is why the distress call SOS is sent as dot-dot-dot dash-dash-dash dot-dot-dot, adopted internationally in the early 1900s.
2. What is the capital city of Australia?
Answer: Canberra
Canberra is Australia's capital, a purpose-built city in the Australian Capital Territory chosen in 1908 as a compromise between rival cities Sydney and Melbourne; parliament moved there in 1927.
3. Which gas do plants absorb from the air to make food during photosynthesis?
Answer: Carbon dioxide
Plants take in carbon dioxide through pores called stomata and use sunlight to convert it with water into glucose, releasing oxygen as a by-product.
4. Which band recorded the 1968 hit song 'Hey Jude'?
Answer: The Beatles
The Beatles released 'Hey Jude' on 26 August 1968 as the first single on their own Apple label; written by Paul McCartney for John Lennon's son Julian, it spent nine weeks at US number one.
5. Which spice, harvested from crocus flowers, is the world's most expensive by weight?
Answer: Saffron
Saffron, the dried stigmas of the autumn-flowering Crocus sativus, is the world's costliest spice by weight because around 150 flowers are hand-picked to yield just one gram.
6. Which language has the most native speakers in the world?
Answer: Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese has the most native (first-language) speakers of any language, around 988 million according to Ethnologue's 2026 edition — roughly twice as many as Spanish. English leads only when second-language speakers are counted, with about 1.49 billion total speakers.
7. In which sport do players hit a shuttlecock over a net?
Answer: Badminton
Badminton is played by hitting a feathered shuttlecock with rackets over a net about 1.55 m high, with games played to 21 points, usually best of three.
8. Which river is generally considered the longest in Africa?
Answer: The Nile
The Nile, at roughly 6,650 km, is Africa's longest river and has traditionally been ranked the world's longest; the Congo is second at about 4,700 km. It flows north through 11 basin countries into the Mediterranean.
9. Which animal is the fastest land animal over a short sprint?
Answer: Cheetah
The cheetah is the fastest land animal, reaching roughly 100-120 km/h in bursts lasting only 20-30 seconds. The pronghorn is slower at the sprint (about 88 km/h) but can hold high speed for miles.
10. In the 1997 film 'Titanic', what is the name of Leonardo DiCaprio's character?
Answer: Jack Dawson
Leonardo DiCaprio played Jack Dawson, a penniless artist from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, in James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, opposite Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Cal Hockley.
11. What is the capital city of Canada?
Answer: Ottawa
Ottawa, in the province of Ontario on the Ottawa River, has been Canada's capital since Queen Victoria selected it in 1857; Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are larger cities but have no capital status nationally.
12. Which vitamin does the human body produce when skin is exposed to sunlight?
Answer: Vitamin D
Ultraviolet B rays convert a cholesterol derivative in the skin into vitamin D, which the liver and kidneys then activate to help the body absorb calcium. Vitamins C, B12 and K must come from diet or gut bacteria.
13. How many interlocking rings appear on the Olympic flag?
Answer: Five
The Olympic flag, designed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1913 and first flown at the 1920 Antwerp Games, shows five interlocking rings representing the union of the five inhabited continents.
14. In which year did the Berlin Wall fall, opening the border between East and West?
Answer: 1989
The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, was opened on 9 November 1989 after East German official Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced that travel restrictions took effect immediately, prompting crowds to cross the border. Germany formally reunified on 3 October 1990.
15. Which organ of the human body produces the hormone insulin?
Answer: The pancreas
Insulin is made in the pancreas, specifically by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans, which release it into the bloodstream to lower blood glucose after a meal; these cells make up roughly 70-80% of each islet.